Wired rating

Wired

Tired

Still not many apps, no BBM, limited Android app
support,

Price

£169 (16GB)

RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook has had the first update to its operating system
almost a year after its launch. While OS 2 isn't a revolution for
tablets, it at least gives the PlayBook a fighting chance against
the marauding hordes from Apple and Android. We take a second look at the
PlayBook and look to see whether the new OS gives the tablet a
better experience overall.

Email
One of the main problems that the update addresses is the lack of
a native email client. Now it's here so there's no need for any of
that BlackBerry Bridge nonsense where you had to get a Bluetooth
connection to a BlackBerry phone to sync your email, calendars and
contacts.

You can add as many email accounts as you like, plus accounts
from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (just one from each though), with the option to
view in full screen and all options are nicely accessible down the
right-hand side. Yes, it should have been there from day one,
especially from a brand renowned for its email facilities, but
better late than never.

BlackBerry Bridge is still there if you need a network
connection and can't get Wi-Fi, since there's no SIM card, but that
puts it on a par with most tablets. It also works with the Remote
function, allowing you to use your phone as a cursor to navigate a
presentation hosted on the PlayBook.

BBM still not found its way into the PlayBook even in this
update. If you have a BlackBerry phone, you can get BBM on the
PlayBook with OS 2, but you need to use BlackBerry Bridge.
Apparently there are plans to be able to get the full BBM
experience on the PlayBook alone (as you can now with email) but
there's no indication as to when this will happen.

Video and media
The Video Chat facility has been enhanced by better integration
with your contacts but it only works with other BlackBerry users.
The 3-megapixel front-facing camera is one of the best we've seen
for video chat though, and there's a 5-megapixel one on the
back.

The 7-inch screen offers 1024x600 pixel resolution and looks
beautifully sharp and clear. Despite its dual-core 1GHz processor
backed by 1GB RAM, it's not super fast in practise, and still does
tend to take its time switching between apps.

There's a music store powered by 7Digital but only US citizens
can get the Video Store for now -- it's expected to be coming to
the UK later this year. Documents To Go is still there so you can
create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint docs, as well as new
feature Print To Go, a handy way to transfer files you would
normally print such as your travel itinerary or e-tickets and view
them on your PlayBook.

Web and apps
The Webkit browser now supports HTML5 and Adobe Flash, so there's plenty of video content open to you. It
renders pages well and you can set how many controls you display on
the page. There's also a handy reading view pane that reformats
text into a larger, plainer, easier to read box.

AppWorld is still seriously understocked though compared to
other app stores however, and has some surprising content -- £5
forAngry Birds that you can get free or under a quid
anywhere else? No, we didn't think that's great either. But there's
now limited support for Android apps and there are a few hidden
away in there -- nothing to get too excited about just yet, but
it's a step in the right direction. Developers need to make sure
their apps can run on BlackBerry PlayBooks first, so you won't have
free access to the whole catalogue as you can on competing Android
tablets.

One final bonus though: the application dock running along the
bottom is now easier to add items to, and you can choose any six
shortcuts from the apps menu by dragging and dropping them into the
dock for quick access. Why this, but no BBM though? The mind
boggles.

Conclusion The improvements to the BlackBerry tablet OS seem to have
been a long time coming but they're welcome nonetheless. It's a
powerful device for both work and play, and it's finally starting
to measure up to its rivals. But the lack of unique BlackBerry
features, such as BBM, can't go unnoticed.

Comments

BBM is suppose to be coming still, apparently BBM has to be revampted to work with QNX but I noticed there is a PIN with OS2.

Loving OS 2 very much, well done Blackberry!

Kevin

Mar 7th 2012

you got the price wrong. its only £169 for the 16gb version at the major stores, pc world, carphone warehouse, currys etc.. that makes it undoubtably the most complete and impressive tablet under £200 BAR NONE! no other tablet offers internet connection when out and about for free either. granted you need a blackberry phone but most playbook owners do.

matt

Mar 7th 2012

In reply to matt

It is even better now, I brought my son the 64gb in june for £249, and went to pick one up today, and paid £129 for the 64gb now that must be the bargain of the year.

Dominic

Aug 30th 2012

No SIM card, but you have "GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA" in the specifications?Something is off here.

I'm confused here!, i upgraded my playbook to os 2.0 and i have bbm!?!?only thing is the bbm doesnt have groups, just the individual chatswhat am i missing?

Joe

Mar 8th 2012

In reply to Joe

Hi, I've got bbm working on my Playbook - need to update your BBM and Bridge app on your Blackberry, and then it will work - it didn't ship with the actual update, but it's there now and it works great!

Robert Milton

Mar 8th 2012

In reply to Joe

Thanks, Joe. Yes, you can use BBM if you have a BlackBerry phone and have connected it via BlackBerry Bridge to the PlayBook with the OS 2.0 update. We have clarified this in our review, although this does not change our score as we're judging the tablet on its solo merits alone.

Nate Lanxon

Mar 8th 2012

OS/2 ??? Won't IBM and Microsoft get upset with that name?

Jim D

Mar 9th 2012

Disregarding many negative reviews I purchased a BB Playbook 64 in January this year. Took it on a trip to Sri Lanka and Dubai Jan 19 - Feb 26) during which I received the software upgrade. Everything was working fine at the homes of relatives where I stayed, during my trip, except that I was never able to connect via any hot spots, including airports.

However after returning home to the UK on 26 February, where I have BT Infinity Broadband, I have not been able to connect to the inrternet for more than a few minutes at a time. I get a message "Coudn't resolve the host name" I have tried several solutions suggested in a number of forums but nothing seem to work.

I would really appreciate any suggestions as my BB Playbook is at the moment quite useless for browsing.

Ranjit

Mar 9th 2012

In reply to Ranjit

I had the problem, but them i found out that my router had problems, so i fixed it and everything went well

Alex

Mar 11th 2012

In reply to Alex

What was the problem with the router bc my playbook is saying the same thing and i just bought it today...please reply i really want to use it .. thx

bree

Sep 16th 2012

I had bought the play book in December but returned it as i couldn't log into bank accounts &amp; other secure sites using drop down menu's etc. Has this now been resolved?Apart from that I loved it - Superb quality!

kev j

Mar 24th 2012

7 Digital is available in the UK on the Playbook (and was prior to this review)Blackberry Bridge is actually an excellent piece of technology - being able to open mail / attachments from the phone on the 'book and remote control it. Online banking works for Natwest at least. I haven't had any issues with secure sites or menues

jonathan

Mar 28th 2012

Hi i just wanted to be clear does the tablet not have the BBM installed in it. How do I install the bbm on to it if it's not already installed.

Myria Shoaib

Apr 26th 2012

The playbook as far as I know has no MicroSD slot. The specs given here state it does.

UniX

Apr 30th 2012

I just wished there was bbm on the playbook. Ofcourse you can get the bbm (for as long as its bridged / impared with your bb device) my husband take the phone to office and thereafter, I cannot have access to bbm via playbook, until his back home by night. (what's the difference). Wish it did'nt have to take so long for them to think of this. We are all waiting for the day to come when we can have blackberry messenger on bb playbook and fingers crossed on Iphones &amp; Ipads too.

Belinda

May 14th 2012

he guys i don't have any BB phone and recently i got BB playbook so anybody can tell me how can use internet connection on playbook without any BB bridge

chaman

May 22nd 2012

My BB phone is faulty recently, and i'm thinking of getting a BB playbook can i still use all my contacts details on the playbook with bbm. Thank you

omotayo

Jun 12th 2012

when i connect my playbook to my bb 9790 it takes up to 20 mins to connect.via bridge ie bbm on the playbook you just see the green buffering signal.then its says locked then put the password and it buffers for ages again.and i get that annoying buffering timer on the blackberry aswell.maybe because i have too many bbm contacts?

jo

Jun 28th 2012

None of the PlayBooks have micro sd.the memory inside is the memory you get.BBM is only obtained on PlayBook via bb phone connected with bridge.If you have BT broadband in UK you can set hotspot connection when setting up wi fi.This will enable you to get Internet connection outside as long as you are within distance of a BT hub hotspot.plus apparently the PlayBook will be getting the new bb10 upgrade at some time after release.I have been looking up bb PlayBook for some time now,I even got my daughter one for christmas,and I now own a 64gb version.all in all it is a very well made tablet,possibly the best made.It has everything you need and it works well.and the price is now amazing.people comparability to the other tablets to try and help you but this ends up far from the truth.you have to work out what you need from your tablet.Wetherby it turns out to be an ipad, motorola,kindle,Google,and any others that I have not mentioned.don't fall into the trap of what's cool or what everybody is buying.they may be good but not right for you.people I know bought Samsung,ipads and others and told me PlayBook was rubbish,of course they hadn't even tried it.I showed them mine and they swallowed they're words.don't get me wrong,they are happy with there's,but it just goes to show.try before you buy.use Internet for reviews,but be subjective as people find it hard to keep to facts.most tablets are good but they all have little differences to suit different people different uses.